The Stormchaser Chronicles
by librarywitch
Summary: This is a companion piece to Harry Potter and the Warrior's Path. This collection will fill in the backstories from Warrior's Path. You really need to read HP and the Warrior's Path first or you will be so lost.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N This is a companion piece to "Harry Potter and the Warrior's Path". If you haven't read that you are going to be so lost! I strongly suggest reading Warrior's Path first.**_

_**This will hopefully fill in some of the missing back stories to Warrior's Path. It is an AU Harry Potter story; cannon will be followed when it fits where the Stormchasers are going. I don't own anything but the Stormchasers and I apologize in advance for treading on any ones cultural traditions or beliefs. There will be Native American words sprinkled throughout the series; translations will always be given at least once when the word is used. As the Stormchasers are American, there will be American slang and customs in this tale. I will endeavor make them as self explanatory as possible. If you don't want to see that in a HP story, then do not venture any further. You have been warned. **_

_**Something that came up in Warrior's Path, foreign nationals CAN JOIN THE US MILITARY!!! I work with the military and know this for a stone cold fact. **_

_**If there is a back-story that you would like to be included here, feel free to pm me and I'll see about spinning one out. It will be an open-ended collection; hopefully we won't run out of ideas.**_

_**London, 1957…**_

Charles Potter slammed his bedroom door. The seventeen year old flung himself across his bed, beating the pillows in frustration. His father just didn't understand.

Charles had just had conversation number fifty-five with his father about what the young man intended to do with the rest of his life. James Potter had found a position for his only son with the local apothecary, which he felt was an excellent one for someone like Charles since the lad was a deft hand at potions, ones that did not require magic that is.

Charles did not agree. Just because he wasn't a wizard like the rest of his family, didn't mean that he was going to settle for being a lowly shop clerk the rest of his life. He knew there had to be more to life than that.

His Uncle Charlus understood him though. Charlus Potter had been instrumental in helping his namesake with private schooling in the muggle world when the boy's father was too ashamed to send a non-magical son to school with the other squibs. Charles had never been able to perform a single feat of magic in his entire life, not even accidental magic that every other young wizard had happen at least once before they started at Hogwarts. Therefore, everyone thought that he was a squib.

However, Charles had talked with others that had no magical talents and he knew he was different. While some of the squibs could only barely feel magic around strong sources, Charles could almost taste it; the flow of magic seemed to be just beyond his reach. He just couldn't figure out how to grasp it.

He could detect magic flowing through and around everything. That was just not good enough for his father James Potter. There had never been a squib in the entire Potter family tree. Why did the first one have to be him?

Charles turned on to his back, staring up at the ceiling. His room was like most young wizards', pictures of his favorite house at Hogwarts, Gryffindor's Quidditch team, scarlet and gold on his bed linens along with posters of muggle submarines and jets too. Charles had spent much time in the muggle world and loved it. His father just didn't understand that he fit in so much better with the Muggles.

"That's it!" Charles said aloud-sitting bolt upright in the middle of the bed. "I'll find a job in the Muggle world and show him just who's a useless squib".

That comment had hurt the worst. Both had been very angry, both refusing to budge an inch in compromise during their entire argument this morning, both saying things that neither had meant. Much like a lot of fathers and sons have done throughout time.

Charles moved quickly packing a backpack. He had sent most of his treasured possessions to his uncle for safe keeping the last time there had been a big blow up between himself and his father. He was packing the rest now. He was not coming back here until he had proven that he was not useless.

_**Over two years later, Holy Loch, Scotland…**_

Charles Potter stepped off the bus, tall in his Navy whites. He was among the first of the United States Navy personnel to arrive at the WWII submarine base that was going to become a US Navy submarine base as soon as the governments of the two countries had hammered out all of the details. They were there to lay the groundwork and get it ready for the contractors to begin. He was happy to be back in the UK though; he was surprised that he _**actually **_had missed his homeland.

When he had stormed out of his father's home, he had made up his mind to get as far away from the wizarding world as he could. He had gone to the US embassy and asked to join the Navy. His school test scores were excellent so they signed him up. He had discovered a talent for logistics in boot camp and had excelled in that field. Now he really was a squid (what US Marines call their Navy counterparts)not quite a squib but he was far from useless. He had also been training for a Naval Combat Demolition Unit (NCDUS), which was why he was here now. There was ordinance from WWII still in the loch and it all had to be cleared.

A young man that had been sitting beside him on the trip over, Ed Stormchaser stepped off the bus and stood beside him. Both were tall, much too tall to be submariners, but the Navy had other uses for them here. The two had hit it off immediately, quiet Charles enjoying Ed's conversation about everything from girls to who was going to be the best football (American) team this year. Charles had never met someone for the first time and felt such a connection to him or her. It was as if Ed was a long lost brother. Charles shook his head at his flight of fancy, there was something about Stormchaser that Charles could almost feel but not like the magic from wizards. This was something else.

"Brother," Ed said looking around at the rainy countryside, "you said that it was gloomy this time of year, but damn!"

"Don't worry," Charles said with his slow smile, "you might get to see the sun before we leave. But I doubt it."

"I never thought I would see a place where it rained more than North Carolina but I guess I was wrong. Come on let's go report in." Ed picked up his sea bag and both walked to the headquarters building just inside the gate. Charles picked his up and followed the American.

Over the course of the next year, the two men proved themselves an impressive team. They cleared more ordnance than any other two man team did. Charles' magical sense, which had been in overload since he got on the bus the first day, helped because the muggle technology disrupted the ambient magical fields of the area. It made the old weaponry stick out like a sore thumb in the dark waters of the loch. Ed seemed to have an uncanny talent for disarming the old ordnance. The two of them made a great team. Every once in a while however, Charles caught Ed giving him a calculating look. He wasn't sure what that was about but he found that he was coming to care for the happy go lucky American.

The men that made up the group for this clearing operation had become a well-knit working one. They had accomplished their mission and now were being transferred to the Pacific fleet. Charles didn't know when he would be returning to Britain, so he took time to see his family before he left Britain. All except his father as James Potter had never forgiven him for joining the _**American**_ Navy for god's sake.

His mother met him at his Uncle Charlus' summer cabin in the highlands though. She at least was so proud of how her only child had turned out. So was his Aunt Dorea, Charlus' wife. She secretly disagreed with her own family's pure blood prejudices, mainly because she was very proud of her favorite nephew and had enjoyed meeting his muggle friends. The rest of the Blacks would have disowned her if they had known she was fraternizing with Muggles. However, what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them she always told herself.

_**Later that year…**_

Ed and Charles along with the other members of their team were shipped out to the Pacific fleet. Like so many of the NCDUS teams, their mission was changing. Going from underwater demolition missions to counter insurgent. There was talk of a name change coming, maybe even a chance for better training for their unit. Nevertheless, as usual, they were expected to do the job before all that could happen.

That is how they found themselves in April 1960, in a firefight in a no name place in Southeast Asia.

"Potter, sound off" came the Master Chief from his position.

"Yoh!" Charles shouted.

"Stormchaser?"

"Yoh!"

"Perkins?"

Nothing. "Perkins?"

"He's down Chief!" came Ed's voice from where he and Charles were crouched trying to avoid following in Perkins' footsteps.

"Damn! Jenkins?" No answer.

"Chief we are it!" Charles bellowed back. More fire from the enemy hit the boulder and the dirt surrounding their hidey-hole.

"Chief? Damn it Chief answer!"

Ed and Charles looked at each other.

"Shit bro, we are in deep here. What do we do now?" Ed was fresh out of ideas, normal ones ideas anyway.

Charles peeked around the boulder they were penned behind, one that was barely protecting them. He quickly jerked back as a chip flew off from the other sniper. How in the bloody hell were they going to get out of this? Somehow, they needed to get out of this cross fire or eventually their enemies were going to be able to maneuver around and pick them off to.

"Well, it looks like the air support isn't going to show, they are probably in Thailand by now since they haven't show up here. We are it. We need to do something about this crossfire. Get rid of it and we can take the other guy." Charles closed his eyes as another round sent rock chips flying at his face. For the first time in a very long time, he wished he was a wizard.

He opened his eyes, then peeked around the edge of the boulder and for some unknown reason even to himself, he raised his hand, palm pointing towards the gun nest above them. He could feel the magic inside of him, could feel it much better than he had ever felt it before.

He centered himself and shouted, "REDUCTO!"

A pulse of red light shot out towards the enemy, contacting the ammo stockpiled by the sniper's feet. Reductos and ammo don't mix very well. The explosion blew the three gunners over the edge of their barricade, in flames and quite dead.

Ed had been moving around to the other side of the boulder and had not seen what Charles was doing. He did however see the bolt of energy contact the gunner's nest. He whipped around to find Charles leaning heavily against the boulder holding his burnt hand.

"I guess they dropped a cigarette in their ammo!" Charles looked up at his friend, wondering how he was going to really explain this when Ed beat him to the punch.

"Son of a Bitch! You didn't tell me you were a wizard! Hold this!"

Ed leaned his rifle against Charles and sent a bolt of power to the gunner's nest on his side, blowing the occupants to hell and gone. Charles looked at his friend with wide opened pain filled eyes. Was he hallucinating? Had Ed just used magic to blow up the other gunner's nest? Wandless just as he had done?

"Here, let me fix that." Ed took Charles' hand in his and passed his other over the raw burnt mark. Charles' eyes got big as the pain along with mark disappeared.

"You're a wizard?" Charles asked quietly.

"Oh yeah, I was going to do about what you did but hopefully not with you seeing it happen." Ed sat heavily against the boulder. "At least now I don't have to obilivate you. Did you go to Hogwarts or some other magic school when you were a kid?"

"Well until just now, I thought I was a squib. That was the first time I have ever been able to cast a spell. Ever Ed. No accidental magic when I was a kid, nothing. I don't know why all of a sudden I could. You have any ideas?"

"Well that explains why you have been ill as a bear with a tooth ache the last month or so. All the stress we have been under on this mission is what did it. My granddad is the expert on this sort of thing, but I know that sometimes a wizard is late blooming into their magic. It happened to one of my cousins. He was about your age when he did accidental magic during a car accident. Saved his life, it did. Granddad said that it was because he was a throw back to the old magic, from way back like before the dawn of time! Mike is a powerful wizard now and I bet you will be too as soon as you learn how to work it."

Charles sat in thoughtful silence, only the birds were beginning to make noises again.

"How do you learn to use magic when you are grown? I thought that it had to be learned when you were a kid, at a school or from your parents."

"Most of the time that is how it is done, but all we have to do is find you a mage that will teach you and you will be right as rain." Ed said smiling. "The nice thing is that with you late bloomers, it is almost like you just have to be reminded about how to do it. And I think I have the fellow in mind that will be perfect, that is if you don't mind learning a magic that is not like what you Brits have been practicing for yonks."

"Well since none of the British wizards could detect my magic at all, I think that something else is definitely in order. Who would want to teach me?"

"I think my Granddad, Joshua Stormchaser would. He likes a challenge", Ed said with an irreverent grin.

_**One Month Later…**_

Ed and Charles stepped off the bus in Sylvia, North Carolina. It was a small mountain town and very quiet. It was late and there was only one old pickup sitting outside of the bus station. An older man stepped out of the shadows by the pickup and walked up to the two sailors.

Charles liked what he saw. The man favored Ed except he wasn't built as big as his friend was. However, this man had the same laughing eyes. In addition, the magic rolled off of him like a raging torrent. Charles' magic sense had kicked into overdrive since that fateful mission, now it picked up on all life auras as well, not just the magical ones. It was wearing him out, even though Ed had tried to help him learn how to block it. He wasn't sleeping either. The nightmares were pure hell!

If it hadn't been for his friend, Charles would have had a nervous breakdown weeks ago from sensory overload. Never mind, the accidental magic that he kept doing. As it was, he was barely hanging on.

Even the news that he now had a little brother, named after their father had not been able to rejuvenate him. His mother had been surprised at the late baby, but she had seemed very happy in her letters to her oldest. Maybe now his dad would forgive him for not being the wizard that he had wanted. However, in the state Charles was in, he couldn't believe anything good would come out of it. His father would never change his mind.

Ed and Joshua hugged each other laughing.

"Well, Wah Yaw (_**wolf**_) it is good to see you!" Joshua said in a strong voice, which surprised Charles since he now knew that Joshua Stormchaser was Ed's Great Great Great Granddad. Hell's bells, the man was a contemporary of Albus Dumbledore!

"Ay Knee See (_**Grandfather**_) you look good to these eyes! I have missed you too ay tee ah sss gay yaw (_**Old Man**_). Ay Knee See please let me introduce you to my friend I wrote to you about, Charles Potter." Ed drew his granddad to Charles' side.

"Ay Knee See, this is Charles Potter. Charles this is my grandfather, Joshua Stormchaser, medicine chief of the Aniwodi (_**Red Paint**_) Clan. He is going to help you brother. Ay Knee See, Charles is in bad shape so I think we need to get him home so you can patch him up."

"Wah Yaw wrote and told me about your problem. Here sit on this bench; I do believe you need some help now."

Charles was quickly settled on the bench outside of the bus station. Joshua folded the man's hands across his chest and closed the Brit's eyes with his hand. Muttering in what Charles thought was Cherokee from the words that he had heard Ed use; the old man ran his fingers across Charles' forehead, cheeks and jaw line. He could feel wet streaks where the old man's fingers had been. Then the sharp smell of burning feathers assaulted his nose.

"This will help purify your aura. Since your magic blossomed during such a tragic event, it has focused on the dark side of things. We need to get that straighten out before we go one-step further. That is why you are having such a hard time. It is because of what you had to do to protect yourself and Ed, killing those men with your first magic that is the reason your dark energy has come to the forefront. This will fix that. "

Joshua was explaining everything to Charles as they went through the ritual.

"You see all of us have the light and the dark within ourselves; both are needed for proper balance. Our choices determine which will be the leading force in our lives. By your dark force being in the lead so to speak, it in turns attracts more darkness. If not for your innate strength and Ed's help, the darkness would have overtaken you. Never underestimate it."

Next Charles smelt tobacco, not the bitter of European processed but this had an almost sweet smell of summer grass. He could feel the tension and anxiety that plagued him since the firefight easing away. His shoulders relaxed, his hands un-clinched, his breathing deepened and slowed.

Joshua passed the bundle of burning tobacco completely around the man sitting on the bench, over under back and front seven times. With each pass, he could see the young man relax. Ed was relaxing too. The last month had been almost as hard on the American as it had been for Charles. He had been kept busy containing Charles' volatile temper and covering for the accidental magic that the Brit kept leaking. Sometimes Ed thought keeping the Statute of Secrecy was more trouble than it was worth.

"Now we will finish with the dance. Ed you help me, Charles you can open your eyes now."

Charles opened them to see the two men stomping in a circle around him with shell bells keeping time with the rattle the old man was shaking. Both men were chanting in perfect unison. Charles couldn't believe how much better he felt. Ed had not said a lot about what would happen. He said he wanted Charles to make his own mind up about what was going on. After seven revolutions around him, they stopped, neither man out of breath.

"How ya doing brother?"

"Fine. I feel fine. Much better than before. Sir, why do I feel better? "

Charles had never seen magic worked like this before. He had seen wizard healers work but nothing, not ever like this.

"My son, this is the old way. We have been doing this for as long as there have been people here, so a bit before your culture's traditions. Now we need to get you home so that we can do the full deal on you. This is just to tide you over. Much like a band aide. So up you come."

Charles was pulled to his feet by a much stronger than anticipated helping hand from the old man. As he turned to the pickup, he saw his face in the bus station window. He had painted streaks running in rune patterns on his face. That explained the wet feeling.

Needless to say, Charles was in a bit of culture shock. But it would get better. The two sailors had sixty days leave and they intended to spend them right here. This was going to be interesting.

And it was. Charles was exposed to magic the likes of which nobody in Europe had ever seen. He learned to cast spells wandlessly, only the high medicine chiefs used medicine staffs to concentrate their magic. Charles' innate magical sense allowed him to tap into the natural power of the earth itself. This magic was much more elemental than what the rest of his family practiced, that is why they couldn't detect it, and they didn't know what they had been looking at.

Ed was right too, once Charles was able to control his magical core, he was an extremely powerful wizard. Joshua worked intensively with the young Brit, not only on his magic but on also putting him through a crash warrior training too. The two lines of study were complimentary, each strengthening the other. The two months of basket leave that Charles and Ed had saved up flew by. Soon it was just a few days before they had to report to Norfolk.

"Charles," Joshua began, "we owe you a debt."

The men were sitting around the scrubbed wooden table in Joshua's cabin, eating breakfast.

"No sir," Charles quickly said, "I owe you. Without your help I would have self destructed weeks ago."

"Possibly, but it was not a certain thing. However, you saved my grandson's life. That is a much larger debt for us. Ed and I have discussed this with the rest of the clan. We are wondering if you would like to be adopted by our clan. It would mean that you have the entire clan to call on for anything, anywhere. You would belong; you and Ed would be brothers. What do you think?" Joshua thought he knew the answer but he wanted to hear it.

"Sir, I am honored. I would most definitely like to join your clan. Your family has supported and protected me, never mind, understood me so much better than my 'British' family that I would consider it an honor. What do I have to do?"

"I have spoken with Jenny Swiftdeer, our clan mother; she said that we could do the ceremony two nights from now if you could be ready."

"What do I have to do to be ready?"

"You have done most of it already. You have gone on your spirit quest, she is happy that your spirit animal is a bear, she likes bears." Joshua smiled thinking about the pretty clan mother. "You have made things that can be used as gifts, plus Ed has picked more up. You have to give gifts and the quality of your gifts will determine your status in the clan. With all that done, I think that you are very ready. Do you want to go through with it?"

"Ay Knee See, I would be honored to join the Aniwodi (Red Paint) Clan."

Charles knew that this offer was not lightly given. He would get Ed to go with him over to Asheville to help make sure his gifts were of good quality, especially Joshua's. He knew exactly what the old man coveted.

To say that the adoption of Charles Potter into the Aniodi Clan, Stormchaser family was a success would be a serious understatement. He spent every single dime he had in getting the adoption gifts. Especially the brand new hunting rife for Joshua. The gifts assured him a high status within the clan, which he filled with honor and pride.

The two now brothers left for Norfolk to report back in the next day. For the first time in Charles Potter's life, he knew down to the very core of his soul, that he didn't have to prove who he was to anyone. He had come into his own in the misty Smokey mountains, which would the only place he claimed as home for many years.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**_**…This is a collection of back-stories taken from Harry Potter and the Warrior's Path. I suggest that you read that first or you will be lost. The only thing that I own are the Stormchasers, Harry and cannon characters belong to all those other folks.**_

_**I am happy to announce that Harry Potter and The Warriors Path**_

_**has been nominated for the Harry Potter Awards. The Link to the place where**_

_**voting for this story is :**_

_**http-colon-backslash-backslash-www-dot-fanfiction-dot-net-backslash-topic-backslash-64689-backslash-21890795-backslash-1-backslash-**_

_**Thanks so much to all my loyal readers, couldn't have done it without you. Voting deadline is 1JUN2010.**_

Charles Potter enjoyed the trip into Heathrow. He could of course travel the magical route, but the US Navy frowned on not knowing where their people were at given moment of the day. Going from Norfolk, Virginia to London, England in not much more than a couple of blinks of the eye was hard to explain. Besides, he liked flying of any kind.

He had been making this trip at least once a year since 1960 to visit his family. James Potter, Sr. had come to terms with his son's life choices and had been known to boast of his eldest's stellar military career to anyone that would listen. Charles and Ed both had survived several tours in country in Vietnam with the Navy Seals as their unit had come to be called. Now they were teaching the next up and coming groups of Seals.

Charles was very close to his younger brother James. In fact, James was the only one of Charles' family that knew the elder brother was a wizard. Charles had not told his parents because they would expect him to return to the British wizarding world and he was _**not**_ going to do that. So in order to preserve peace, he simply did not tell them. He had to rescue James from a bad fall when the boy was five years old at the park with magic but his little brother thought that being trusted with such a large secret was awesome. Surprisingly the child was very good at keeping secrets as to the best of Charles' knowledge, James had not told anyone other than Remus and Sirius with Charles' permission, that his older brother really was a wizard. Charles had not met Remus before but he would this summer.

Once James turned eleven and started Hogwarts, Charles timed his visits for the summer vacation. James had just finished his fifth year at Hogwarts and Charles was looking forward to seeing him. James had written that Sirius Black would be staying with him this summer. Charles knew from previous visits that Sirius had a hard row to hoe at home and didn't blame the boy for staying with the Potters.

James also was very excited about something; he just hadn't said what it was. Charles knew it was more than the fact that the boy's best friend would be staying the entire summer. There was no telling what those two had been up to at school. James and Sirius were pure hell on wheels, both very intelligent but with far too much energy. Charles had always thought that both of them could do with military school to help channel that energy but the wizarding world had no such type of school.

Even though the British wizarding world was fighting a war against the darkest wizard since Grindelwald, the Ministry of Magic had no formal battle training to speak of for their young folk, only the Aurors got that. Charles had tried on several occasions to convince his family to move to America to escape the rising violence in Britain, but his father would have none of it. Therefore, Charles spent his summer leave training his little brother and friends everything that he could. They learned at an astonishing rate and did not turn their noses up at muggle techniques either. In addition, they thought that the sun rose and set on Charles Potter.

He would spend a few days in London visiting with his parents, then he and the boys would go to the cabin in the Highlands that Uncle Charlus had left him when the man had past several years back. There he could train them without any interference and it gave his parents a break from the high jinks that the young wizards were sure to be getting up to at home. His mother always seemed to be overwhelmed by her youngest, so she loved it when the two brothers left to spend time "bonding" as she called it. In addition, this year Remus would join them at the cabin for two weeks. Charles wondered how the boys had talked the Lupins into that. That set of parents had never let their son visit before but maybe since all the boys were at least fifteen years old; perhaps they felt that it was finally time to cut the apron strings.

Charles de-planed at the British Airways terminal and proceeded to the apparition point in the concealed supply room. He popped into the park area near his parents' home and walked the half block. James and Sirius were sitting on top front step waiting. When they saw Charles, they both pelted down the stairs, three steps at a time, and then rushed down the sidewalk to skid to a stop in front of Charles.

"Charles, you are here!" James almost shouted as he bent to pick up the sea bag that Charles had set down. Sirius grinned up at the elder Potter, reaching out to shake hands.

"Yes youngling, I am here. What have you two been up to that has you are hiding out here? Mother isn't after you is she? Oh I know Star is!" Charles said this with an easy smile. The senior Potter house elf was about the only one that could contain the whirlwinds that were James and Sirius.

James laughed. "We are not hiding. Mother had to go to Hogwarts; no, we are not in trouble there either. It is about the scholarship thing that Uncle Charlus set up. Dad went with her. So we have you all to ourselves, come on we want to hear everything that you have been doing this year. You know all the hush, hush military stuff you didn't put in the letters. The stuff that scares Mother!" The two teens escorted Charles up the steps and into the entry of the townhouse.

Star was waiting with her toga made from a fine linen towel with the Potter crest on the shoulder.

"Master Charles, yous is being early! Mistress will be sad. Come ins and has you some tea. Master James you is not to be bouncing like a ball. Lets Master Charles rest. Flying in them Muggle machines is not good."

The little female elf herded the young men to the parlor where a lavish British tea was laid out.

"Master Siri, leave some for others. Yous is not to be being a piggy!"

Sirius snatched his hand back from the plate with the finger sandwiches, while Charles and James laughed at him. The three friends enjoyed their afternoon tea, sharing tales of the last year, the ones that were not fit for their mother's ears anyway.

_**Five Days Later…**_

Charles, James, and Sirius were waiting in Kings Cross Station. They had picked that as the meeting point with the Lupins. The Lupins, like the elder Potters, believed that Charles was a squib but had been persuaded by their only son to allow this outing. Therefore, both sets of parents thought that muggle transportation would be the only way that the group would travel.

All of the boys had sworn to be on their best behavior and Remus' parents had unwillingly allowed it. Mr. Lupin had insisted that Remus take an emergency portkey with him. He hoped that everything would go well, but it was best to be prepared. His son did not have any other friends and did not ask for things like this very often. Therefore, he couldn't find it in his heart to deny the boy his request. The child asked for so little.

Charles enjoyed James and Sirius' wide-eyed wonder of the Muggles and their vehicles that were speeding past the entrance to the train station while they were waiting. The elder Potter noticed that the one thing that would stop Sirius in mid sentence was when a motorcycle sped past. Black would watch it with longing in his eyes, standing stock-still.

'Well it won't be long before he is old enough to drive one. Maybe by next summer I can teach them all to ride one.' Charles thought with a smile.

"Remus!" James shouted and Charles turned to see a middle-aged couple walking up with a tall, sandy haired young man between them. Sirius and James rushed up to greet their friend.

Charles stepped forward to introduce himself. Just as he reached the group, his "radar" made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He stopped and quickly searched the platform for the danger that had set off his reaction. There was an apex predator here somewhere. But where? Nothing seemed to be out of place.

He quickly stepped closer to the Lupins and for the first time looked their son directly in the face. Amber eyes met blue black and Charles knew. He looked at James and realized that his little brother might know what his friend was. Moreover, expected his older brother to accept Lupin. Charles took a steadying breath.

"Good Morning, Mrs. and Mr. Lupin. I am Charles Potter. Thank you so much for allowing Remus to accompany us. I am sure that he will assist me in controlling these two." Charles turned on his best smile and the Lupins relaxed slightly.

"Mr. Potter, it is a pleasure. Thank you for inviting Remus to come. I know he has been looking forward to it all summer. I have given him a portkey if he needs to return home before you are ready to. I am sure you won't mind."

Mr. Lupin liked the man on sight, something that didn't happen very often. That is why he told him about the portkey.

"Remus, now you remember your manners son. We want you to have a good time with your friends and to be careful. Don't let these two scamps get you into trouble." Mr. Lupin ruffled Sirius' hair, smiling at him.

"I am sure that he will be the least of my worries. Ok, boys grab your gear and let's get on that train."

Charles picked up his bag and started the boys moving towards the train that they were going to take to Scotland. Remus hugged his mother and father, snatched his own bag, and hurried after his friends.

"Do you think we are doing the right thing dear? I mean letting Remmie go like this?" Mrs. Lupin asked her husband as they watched the group go into the station. The three boys were laughing and giggling, mock punching each other's arm, looking much like three puppies playing.

"Darling, I really do. I don't know why, but I trust that man. Much more than I would his father. He…I don't know. There is just something about him that tells me that Remus will be just fine. Now come, let's return home." Mr. Lupin gently took his wife's arm, the two of them stepped into an ally, and they spun on the spot, disappearing from sight.

Charles sat fairly quietly during the train trip as the three younger men talked and joked, not leaving much room for him to say anything except for a comment now and then. He watched the three interact, looking for any hesitation or trepidation on James or Sirius' part. Did they _**really**_ know what Remus was? Nevertheless, how could they not, attending school with the boy from September through June for five years?

James and Sirius were the same around Remus as they had been when it was just the two of them. Therefore, if they did know, they accepted their friend's "problem". Was this the secret that James had been hiding for the last few months? Charles was going to get to the bottom of this soon. The full moon had just been last weekend, so they had a three-week window before they had to worry about anything.

_**The cabin in the mountains…**_

Charles led the way up the path to the cabin. When his Uncle Charlus had left it to him, it had looked like a typical thatched roof Scottish country cottage. Charles had worked, with James helping him, over the course of several summers turning it into a wonderful retreat. The thatch had been replaced with slate, modern plumbing and a front porch facing southwest had been added. The wards around the place were impressive when he inherited it. He had added more so that now unless he invited you in, you would never even see it from the valley, never mind be able to approach it.

Charles unlocked the door, magically and using a muggle lock. The boys would be in the second bedroom that was complete with bunks. They went in to unpack. Charles unloaded several shrunken packages that contained food, and other supplies for their stay. He got a fire going in the hearth since at this altitude; it was cool in the evenings, even in summer. Then he sat in the overstuffed chair and waited for the boys.

There was much giggling going on in the beginning but Charles could only hear snatches of conversation. It seemed that Sirius was teasing James about someone named Lily. Before it could escalate into something serious, Charles called the boys out for the tea he had sat out on the scrubbed kitchen table.

"Siri, I swear if you don't stop, I am going to pound you!" James came into the living area, his face looking like a thundercloud. "You stop it!"

"Ok, what the hell is going on? I don't think I have ever heard you two fighting. Care to explain why I am hearing it now?"

Charles did not raise his voice but then he didn't need to. His deep bass had a way of cutting through conversation when he wanted it to. If thunder had a voice, his is what it would sound like.

The three froze! They had momentarily forgotten that there was another person here. An adult person at that, even it was cool Charles. The looks of chagrin on all three faces were comical. Charles wondered how much they would tell him.

"Umm, well, Sirius has been teasing me…" James started but was at a loss as how to finish it.

"Sirius has been teasing James about this girl that he has fancied since they first met on the train first year. But she thinks he is an arrogant toe rag", Remus quickly put in.

'Ah!' thought Charles. 'Here is the peacemaker of the bunch.'

"But he is an arrogant toe rag!" Sirius piped up smiling at his best friend.

"I am not. It just that she…well she never seems to see me in the best light." James finished up.

"Well, maybe you just need to work on not being an arrogant toe rag where she can see you." Charles said this with a grin. He knew full well how big his little brother's ego was.

How could it not be? The late baby of a very wealthy pure blood family and best friends with the eldest of another pureblood well to do family, never mind excellent at anything he turned his hand too. The boy had a good heart, it was just sometimes he let pride in self and his family rule his mouth.

"Who is the paragon of beauty that has slain your heart?"

"She is Lily Evans. She is the most brilliant witch in our year, never mind she is beautiful. She has dark red hair, long and shining with the most startling green eyes that you have ever seen." James was getting a dreamy look on his face.

"Boy, you have got it bad. So why are you being an arrogant toe rag around her?" Charles was curious about this.

"Well, you see she is muggle born. That is not why she calls me an arrogant toe rag. I would never hold that against her! But she already knew a wizard from her neighborhood that started school with all of us. He is this greasy haired git. He hangs out with all the other Slytherins and you know how they are! Well, he and she were friends from before. Snape, that is his name, well he didn't seem to like Sirius and me that first day on the train. It has been kind of open warfare between us and him ever since." James did have the grace to look a bit guilty about this.

"Oh, so I see. It is the three of you against this Slytherin, Snape. I can kind of see why he doesn't like you."

Charles could not help but put the disappointment in his voice that he was feeling. He had worried about James and Sirius being the pranksters, now it seemed they were bullies too!

"Well, when you say it like that, it does seem that way. But he gives as goods as he gets, always hexing us when our backs are turned. But anyway, we uh, we had a disagreement after our O.W.L.S. this past June. Hexes were exchanged, Snape ended up hanging upside down. Evans tried to get me to leave him alone, but then that bastard called her a mudblood. I thought she was his friend. They aren't speaking now, the git actually waited outside the common room door the last Saturday, trying to get her to talk to him. I don't think she is friends with him anymore." James was looking worried now. He had noticed the look on his big brother's face.

"Now let me tell you one thing James Harrison Potter. If I ever hear that you have been going three, alright two," Charles notice the look on Remus' face, "on one again, I will personally whip your ass! You should be ashamed of yourself. If you were some half squib, not able to stand up for yourself, I might, **MIGHT** be able to understand you two ganging up another student. **BUT NONE OF THE THREE** of you are that! You are very capable of taking on any other student **BY YOURSELF**! There is enough strife and fighting going on in the world without you making it worse!"

"But Snevillus is all into the Dark Arts! I bet he is already a Death Eater!" Sirius put in trying to defend their actions.

"I don't care if he calls Voldemort his uncle! It does not give you the right to be just as bad as the Death Eaters are!" Now that hit the young men in the face like a wet kneazle.

"We aren't as bad as the Death Eaters!" James was almost on the point of tears. He couldn't bear the thought that his beloved brother thought that about him.

"When you pick on someone weaker than yourself, weaker either because of the fact that they are outnumbered or because they are not up to your abilities, then that make you just as bad as the Death Eaters.

You are at the age that it is time to decide what life you are going to choose. Are you going to be someone who your children, your family can look up to for doing what is right and defending those who can't defend themselves? Or on the other hand, are you going to choose the path where you walk over anything or anyone who stands in your way to get what you want? Will you take the path that leads to darkness? Because once you start down that path to darkness, finding your way back to the light is extremely difficult, if not _**impossible**_ for most men to do. There are enough real enemies in this life without you three going out and making another one. And one I might add that is a powerful one." Charles was glaring at all three boys.

"What do you mean a powerful one? He is just this slimy Slytherin git!" Sirius was getting angrier by the minute. Snape powerful? Oh, come on he thought. Charles just didn't understand!

"Siri, you just stop and think for once in your life. You have a fine brain, use if for something besides getting in to trouble! This boy, Snape, from what I hear he has been holding his own against at least two of you for **FIVE** years! How many other wizards to you think could do that? Well, how many? No answer, I didn't think so. I hope for that boy's sake that someone will help him find the right path because if not, Voldemort will gain a powerful Death Eater. Moreover, in my opinion, it will have a lot to do with how **YOU** have treated him. I think that all three of you need to think very hard on how you have been treating Snape and how you will treat him in the future. It may be too late to change his course, but maybe not." Charles looked at all three hard, even Sirius was chastened.

"I want all three of you to take a really good look at how you treat others. Just because you can beat someone in a duel, doesn't mean you need to start one just because you are bored or whatever." At this, Sirius and James looked extremely guilty, because that is exactly why they had started on Severus after the O.W.L.'s. "Save all that crap for the ones that truly deserve it. I haven't been teaching you James to be a bully. I want that to stop right now! Do all of you understand me?"

Charles glared at the three young men before him. James seemed to be truly sorry, Remus looked upset, but Sirius had a rebellious look on his face. The young Black was one who resented authority. Charles knew it was because of how the boy's parents had treated him all of his life but Sirius had to change his ways or there would be hell to pay.

The elder Potter took a moment to calm down. Hopefully some of what he had said would sink in, maybe not all of it but maybe some of it. He sure hoped so.

"Now, let's leave that be for a bit. I want to know what it is you have been dying to tell me since I got here."

Charles sat patiently waiting. Not a sound came from any of the three. All of them were sitting looking at their shoes.

"Ok, I'll start." He turned to Remus. "How long have you been a werewolf son?"

It was worth the looks on all three faces that suddenly shot up from perusing their shoes. Remus immediately glared at James.

"I thought we were going to tell him together." Remus' eyes were hardening to the dark amber of a wolf.

"I didn't say anything Moony! Honest!" James was quick to assure his friend.

Remus turned to Sirius.

"Not me either. I didn't breathe a word. You know I wouldn't do that!" Sirius was scooting back in his chair away from Remus.

"Remus, calm down. They didn't say a word. However, you see, one apex predator always knows another. Don't you feel it?" Charles touched his spirit animal and saw the hairs on Remus' arm raise.

"You're an animagus?" Remus looked wide-eyed at Charles.

"Yes, I am. So how long have you been a were son?"

"Since I was five years old. There are only a few who know, Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey at school. Professor McGonagall too. In addition, these two idiots plus our friend Peter Pettigrew. Dumbledore allowed me to come to Hogwarts when my parents didn't think that I would be able to. He made arrangements for me to be safe on the full moon. But my disappearing once a month, it was too big of a mystery for these two." Remus was once again looking at his best friends without glaring at them.

"So we figured it out. Would you believe when we told him we knew, he thought that we were going to shun him? I mean come on, he is our friend!" Sirius said as he lightly punched Remus on the shoulder.

"I decided that Remus should not be alone when he changed but we couldn't be there with him as humans. So in second year, we started researching ways to help Remus during his transformation. And this year we finally did it!" James said with pride in his voice.

'Oh my god!" thought Charles.

"Are you telling me that you two figured out how to become animagus by yourself? Without any help from a professor?" Charles could not believe it. So many things could, hell should have gone wrong.

"Yes we did!" James and Sirius chorused together, so very proud of themselves.

"How did you know that is what they had done?" Remus asked quietly.

"Well, I know there is research going on here and in the states on ways to help werewolves at least keep some of their sanity when they are transformed but it is strictly research. Therefore, the only way these two morons could be with you when you transformed was to be animals. Moreover, I imagine that they are pretty big ones. Come on let's go outside. I have to see this."

Charles got up and strode out the front door with the three close on his heels.

"Ok, Mr. Smarty-pants. Show me what you got." Charles stood with his arms crossed across his chest and glared at the two young men.

"I'll go first." James smiled at his brother and melted into a very large stag. The large soft brown eyes twinkled with delight. It snorted and play stomped at Sirius who turned to run.

Then he melted into a large shaggy black Irish wolfhound. Charles was startled at how much Siri looked like a Grim, the wizarding harbinger of death.

"Well, you have to give them credit. They don't do anything half way do they?"

Charles was calming down further from his earlier anger. These two idiots had so much potential and he would try his best to see that they lived up to it. He would work on the bullying as much as he could. There would be no more holding back on the hexes during dueling practice. It was time that they knew how that really felt.

Remus said as he looked at his friends play chasing one another around the clearing, "No they don't. I didn't know they were trying to do it. I would have stopped them. If James hadn't been so damned good at Transfiguration, they more than likely would have ended up as slimy puddles. They even were able to help our friend Peter to transform into a rat. I just wished they would use their powers for only good. So Charles, what is your form?"

Charles smiled that wicked Potter smile and his shape becoming larger as his form grew, stretching to something large and furry. Remus had never seen a Grizzly Bear before but he knew that the bear standing in front of him would have no trouble with a werewolf. This creature would not only be able to contain the beast, this creature could destroy the beast. This was truly an apex predator.

"Wicked!" said the young werewolf smiling openly for the first time since Charles had met him.

Over the next two weeks, Charles worked on training the boys in every combat technique he could cram into the time they had together. He also did not pull any punches. For the first time James and Sirius were on the losing end of sparring matches. Charles hoped that it would curb their bullying of anybody but especially this Slytherin Snape. That young man sounded like a person who would make a deadly enemy. Their vacation in the mountains came to a close much too soon for all of them.

On the last night, as the four of them sat around the table after their supper, Charles once again brought up the bullying of Snape.

"Now I want all of you to promise me that you will work on the bullying. I am serious, not you idiot. I don't want to hear another even hint that any of you are doing that sort of thing. You have a responsibility to do what is right, that is why I have spent my time teaching you, so that you can make the right choices."

Charles looked especially hard at Sirius. The oldest Black had a mulish look on his face.

"Siri, I am not kidding. Quit ragging that boy Snape. It is going to blow up in your face before too long. All of you are old enough to know better. I think you are underestimating him, so leave him alone."

James and Remus nodded but Sirius pointedly ignored Charles' comments about Severus. Charles shook his head. He hoped that Siri would make the right choice when the time came; hopefully the time spent with them here in the mountain would sink into that hard head. Charles could only hope!

_**Fall of the Marauders' Sixth year…**_

Sirius and Peter came into the Gryffindor common room snickering together. James had been studying and watched his two friends come across the common room to sit at the table with him. They had plans to meet at the Shrieking Shack after curfew. There was to be a full moon tonight.

"I am almost afraid to ask", James closing his book, "what have you two been up to?"

"Well, we just left the library, Peter had to return that book that was overdue and guess who we saw in there?" Sirius had that light of devilment in his eyes.

"Who?" James thought he knew who Sirius was baiting him with but would play along anyway.

"Evans and Snape is still trying to make up to her!" Sirius said with a laugh in his voice. "But she isn't giving him the time of day. She stalked off and left him standing there like an idiot. Of course, when he saw us, he went off by himself and pretended to read his book. However, I knew he was listening to us talk. I am so tired of him skulking around and trying to figure out what we are doing when we…"

"Padfoot watch it!" James cautioned him. Sometimes Siri's mouth engaged before his brain kicked in gear.

Softer now, "Well I know he is dying to know what we are doing, so I said to Wormtail, I said 'You know how to get into that willow, you just push that dark knot at the bottom, and it will quit moving. That is how we get in!' I know he heard me because he stopped pretending that he was reading. Like he is brave enough to check and see what we are doing down there. He is a coward; he would never try it out! Hey where are you going?"

James had jumped up and sprinted across the common room, bolting out the portrait hole. Sirius looked at Wormtail.

"What did I say?"

James ran as hard as he could, pelting down the stairs, pushing past other students. He left a wake of confusion behind him. All he could think about was what Charles had said this summer. About how Snape really was brave and not to underestimate him. In addition, for them not to push him. Sirius just had to push Snape. James burst out the front doors of the castle, glancing up at the sky.

"Oh bloody hell!" James paled but didn't stop running when he saw that the moon was already up. He ran faster!

Just as he rounded the bend in the path to the Whomping Willow, he saw Snape duck into the dark hole at the base of the trunk. James pushed as hard as he could, but his breath was coming in painful gasps. He wasn't sure he was going to be able catch the Slytherin before he got to the trap door at the end of the tunnel but he _**KNEW**_ he had to!

He dove into the tunnel and sprinted to the far end. Snape was still far ahead.

"Snape! Wait, Please Wait!" James called because he saw the dark boy reach for the latch on the old wooden trap door. "Don't open that! STOP!"

Snape froze and turned to see who was shouting at him. Potter was running hell bent for leather up the tunnel. He smirked at the Gryffindor and released the latch only to have the trapdoor wrenched out of his hand.

He looked up into the face of Hell. A werewolf was peering under the edge of the door, snarling and trying to get a better purchase with clawed paws to lift the door completely up. James made a flying leap and grabbed the latch handle.

"Come on! Grab it and pull! We have to get it closed and latched! It will take both of us!" James shouted at Severus to unfreeze the terrified boy. Snape grabbed the latch along with James and both boys put their entire weight to pulling the door closed. As soon as it shut completely, James shot the heavy slide bolt and twisted it to secure the lock.

"Come on. Him being able to smell you is going to drive him mad. We have to get the hell out of here!"

James pulled Snape down the tunnel, not quite as quickly as he had come through it the first time but very quickly indeed. Severus had almost been petrified with terror but the snarls and claws tearing at the trap door gave him the needed incentive to hurry along the tunnel.

James helped Snape to stand once they were out of the tunnel, but the Slytherin angrily pulled away from the Gryffindor.

"Get your hands off of me Potter!" snarled the infuriated teen.

"Are you alright? Snape are you alright?" James didn't care that the young man before him was furious; James was worried that he had been bitten. That would be the end for Remus, never mind Snape.

"Am I alright? That was a…a…werewolf!" Snape was still mad but now just how close he had come to being savaged sank in. He started shaking.

"Come on; let's get you back up to the castle. You don't want to be out here tonight." James led the dark teen, not touching him, but leading him back to the castle. They met Dumbledore coming out the front door.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Snape, what is the meaning of this?" Dumbledore had lost the twinkle in his blue eyes. He had seen James run out of the castle but not Severus. He also knew that tonight was not a night to be on the grounds.

"Were..wolf" was all that Severus could say.

"Mr. Potter, was he bitten?"

"No sir, I got there in time."

"Come with me." And Dumbledore led the two boys up the stairs to his office. Neither said anything until they were inside of the headmaster's office.

The headmaster sat both boys down in the chairs by the fire and poured them cups of hot chocolate. James gulped his down almost in one go. Severus was shaking so bad he could hardly hold his cup.

"Now tell me what happened." Dumbledore looked at James over his half moon spectacles.

"Well, Sirius and Peter were talking in the library. Actually, they were having a go at Snape. Sirius did not think that Snape would be brave enough to actually try to get into the Whomping Willow. However, my brother had said this summer that Snape was actually very brave and that Sirius should not push him. Sirius didn't listen and so Snape went to see if you could get into the willow. The two idiots came into the common room talking about it and I ran to try to stop Snape."

"Why?" Snape asked looking at his archenemy (he thought).

"Why what?" James looked across at the other teen in bewilderment.

"Why did you try to stop me?" Snape spat this out.

"Why did I try to stop you? You are kidding right. No, I can see that you aren't. There are many reasons. First I wouldn't wish a werewolf savaging on my worst enemy, well maybe Voldemort, but certainly not you!"

Snape looked at James with complete incredulity all over his face.

"Really, nobody deserves that! Another reason is, if Remus had savaged you, it would have destroyed him, to know that he had harmed you. Right before the ministry really destroyed him. I couldn't let that happen to one of my best friends. Never mind, Evans would have killed me if she ever found out that I let that happen to you. You two may not be talking, but you were friends a long time. And she is scary when she is mad!" James saw that Snape tried not to agree with him on that but failed.

"The last reason is my brother would kill me if I let this happen. What he thinks is important to me and he got on us this summer for being bullies." James blushed but continued. "I don't want to disappoint him. Simple as that." James finished quietly.

"Mr. Snape I have to ask that you give me your solemn oath that you will not tell anyone about what happened tonight." Dumbledore looked at the young Slytherin, extremely hard at him.

"What is going to happen to Black? He tried to kill me!" Severus had recovered enough to be furious now.

"No, Snape he really didn't think that you would go and try to get in the willow. Honestly, he is such an idiot sometimes. Charles told him to never under estimate you and he did. He wouldn't try to really kill you", James said this hoping it was true. Sometimes Sirius was hard to figure out, but James really thought that Sirius had not meant to get Snape hurt.

"Mr. Snape, I will speak to Mr. Black myself but as no one can know this secret, I am afraid that there will be no 'known' punishment. Mr. Potter thank you so much for your quick action tonight. You saved more than one life. Now Mr. Snape, can I have your oath?" Dumbledore waited patiently.

Severus glared at Dumbledore. It was happening again! His precious Gryffindors were going to get off with no punishment. If he had pulled this stunt, he would have been expelled. He was sure of that!

However, Severus knew that Dumbledore could simply Obilivate the knowledge out of his head. Instead, he was offering to trust the young man with some very important information. That was a first. The fact that Dumbledore would trust Severus Snape was filed away for future use.

"Very well, I will tell no one about Lupin being a werewolf until", and Severus smirked at this last bit, "we graduate from school. I give my wizard's oath".

Dumbledore knew that with the way things were going with the ministry, Lupin would have to register once he was of age, so that stipulation was not a problem.

"Thank you Mr. Snape. Now do you need to go to Madame Pomfrey? Not even a calming draft?" Dumbledore looked over his half moon speckles at the young man before him.

Severus shook his head, still angry that Black had tried to kill him. No matter what Potter said, Severus believed in his heart that Black had tried to kill him tonight.

"Very well, return to your common room. It is almost curfew." Dumbledore held the door open for Severus to step into the stairwell. The dark teen stopped on the threshold.

"Thanks." He muttered over his shoulder at James.

"You are welcome." James quietly said. He was surprised that Snape had bothered to thank him.

Dumbledore shut the door quietly behind Snape and returned to his chair beside James.

"Thank you very much for your quick thinking tonight James. You have saved two lives tonight and I am in debt do you. So Charles has been helping you with growing up has he? Well, you could pick a much worse person for your mentor. How has he been doing?"

With that opening, Dumbledore had a very nice conversation with James until the young man had calmed down from his excitement of the evening.

"Now, I want you to tell Mr. Black and Mr. Pettigrew that they are to see me first thing after breakfast. I want you to return to your dorm now and I will check on Mr. Lupin myself. Do not discuss this with them tonight; let them think on what they have done. Because for whatever reason that they did it, one of their classmates could have died tonight. I am going to make sure that they never forget that." Dumbledore rose and gestured towards the office door. James knew he was being dismissed.

"One thing sir, I will understand if you can't answer. Do you think that Snape will join the Death Eaters?" James looked up at his headmaster.

"James, I hope not but only time will tell. Now you go on to bed and feel free to torment Mr. Black along with Mr. Pettigrew with as bad a punishment as you can think that I would give them. I feel they deserve a bit of torture for tonight's work. But no one else, do you understand?"

"Yes sir I do. Thank you."

James shut the office door behind and hurried down the spiral staircase, plotting what he was going to tell Sirius and Peter that Dumbledore was going to do to them.


	3. Chapter 3

Ed was worried about his best friend. Charles Potter had had a couple of years that would have destroyed anyone who was not as tough as the master chief was.

First Death Eaters had killed his parents during a raid in London. The Potters had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time and had been caught in the fallout. Then just two months later, Charles' beloved wife Sarah had been attacked and killed on her way home from work in DC. Yo-na was devastated. Ed was not sure he would recover but his friend had kept going.

Charles had only smiled once in the months since then and that was when he received word that his little brother, James Potter and his wife Lily had a brand new baby boy named Harry. He had gone about his everyday job requirements until then, not living just existing. The news of the new baby seemed to bring him out of his depression, but happiness was short lived as news from Britain arrived that James, Lily and Harry had gone into hiding to escape from that psychopath Voldemort.

Charles began arranging for them to leave Britain and come to the States to safety, but James would not leave the resistance, the Order of the Phoenix, to fight without him. Lily would not leave James, so Charles had been arguing with his brother via muggle mail trying to convince him and or Lily to come. Charles had taken leave to go to Britain and if necessary hog-tie his brother, pack him in a box, then mail his butt to Virginia come the Christmas holidays!

Then on November the first, an exhausted owl had arrived at the supper table where Ed and Charles were eating together. It was from Dumbledore, James and Lily's resistance leader. When Charles read the letter, he just sat there with tears streaming down his cheeks. Ed had never seen Charles cry. Never, ever.

Stormchaser took the letter from the slack fingers of his blood brother and read the elegant slanting script.

Mr. Potter,

I regret to inform you that your brother, James and his wife Lily were murdered last night in their home in Godric's Hollow by Lord Voldemort. They both fought to the death to defend Harry, who has survived with minimal injury. I will be taking him to Petunia, Lily's sister tonight. If you can come to England as soon as possible, I will explain everything.

I am so sorry to be the one to tell you this terrible news, but James had left instructions that you were to be notified if anything happened to him and Lily.

Please advise me of your plans as soon as possible.

Yours respectfully,

Albus P.W.B. Dumbledore

Ed sank into the chair he had left to let the owl in through the window. He couldn't believe it! James and Lily dead. Poor Harry! Poor Charles! Ed was afraid that this would be the straw that broke the camel's back for Charles. Could he survive one more blow?

The two men sat there for several minutes. The delivery owl had flown to the perch by the window and was gulping water. They would have to use their own owl, U-nu-la (**Storm**) for a reply if it was to get there quickly.

"Ed", Charles' gravely voice came quietly from across the table, "I have to leave tonight. Could you call the CO and explain, well come up with something? I will see about the flight. I don't want the ministry to know I am there so I'll check on the flights leaving from here."

"Well, make sure you tell them two 'cause I am going with you brother. You don't need to do this by yourself. I am not going to let you do this by your self so deal with it."

Ed went to use the phone in the next room. Charles sat at the table not yet moving.

"Why couldn't you have listen to me James? Why?"

_**Godric's Hollow November 2, 1981…**_

Charles and Ed apparated to the small village, appearing in the alley behind the pub under the Chameleon Charm that made them blend into the background, invisible to most wizards and all muggles. The men had appeared with no sound to betray them. Charles stumbled into sight.

Ed gently nudged him to start walking. Ed was the only thing that was keeping Charles moving at this point.

"I've got your six, Yo-na (bear). You be hard now," Ed whispered.

Ed was worried that the Death Eaters would take this chance to eliminate Dumbledore and the eldest Potter. They had come in strictly using muggles means, catching a military flight straight to Britain. They did not know that Voldemort was dead and his followers on the run. Dumbledore had left that important bit of information out of his letter.

"Wa-ya u-do (wolf brother) I can't do this. I can't…" Charles was shivering now. Meeting with Dumbledore would make it all final. His little brother would really be dead. Lily would really be dead. He was on the brink of completely loosing it.

"Yo-na, you have to do this. You have to make sure that everything is taken care of. That Harry is taken care of. You have to make sure that everything is as James and Lily wanted it."

Ed hoped that Charles could hold it together just a little bit longer. He didn't think that Dumbledore would deal too well with him, being as that he was no relation to the Potters and the man didn't know him from Adam's aunt. So Charles had to do this. Maybe they should have brought Grandfather to deal with Dumbledore.

Ed chuckled to himself; the thought of Dumbledore having to deal with Joshua Stormchaser would be something to see!

Charles was moving again. Ed saw him square his shoulders, take a deep breath and a stoic expression appeared on his face. Ed deepened the Chameleon charm, Dumbledore was supposed to be the most powerful wizard in these parts and Ed didn't want him to detect Charles' back up.

Charles left the door of the pub open long enough for Ed to slip in behind him. Then he made his way through the smoky dark pub, which had gotten very quiet when the tall stranger had walked in. After the events of Halloween night, everyone was on edge. Especially when a very tough looking individual that none of them knew walked in.

"I am here to meet with…" Charles began quietly but the barkeep interrupted him.

"Just up the stairs. Second door on the right. He is already there."

Wally was a wizard and he was worried that Dumbledore himself was here. Even though You-Know-Who was gone, he was still worried about the Death Eaters. He watched the stranger walk up the stairs, which for some reason never creaked once. Shaking his head in wonder, Wally went back to polishing the gleaming bar.

Charles quietly made his way down the small shadowy hall, trailing his own invisible shadow. He knocked on the battered wooden door.

"Come in!"

Charles pushed the door open wide and took stock of the room before entering. His training was kicking in without him thank heavens having to think about it.

It was a cozy room with a blazing fire on the hearth. An old man was seated beside it in one of the two comfortable arm chairs on either side. A tea tray was on the table between the two chairs. The old man would be tall if he was standing with a long white beard and half moon spectacles on his nose. This was Dumbledore without the twinkle in his eyes that James had described. He looked exhausted.

"Come and sit down. You are Charles Potter; you have the look of your Uncle Charus about you. Come sit down."

Albus gestured to the other chair. The old man's gaze jerked a little to the rear of the chair as Charles sat down. He thought he had seen something, but decided that his tired eyes were playing tricks on him when he could not detect anything there now. Being up for 48 straight hours will do that to you at any age. The man sitting before him looked even worse that the Headmaster did.

"Charles I am so sorry that we have to meet under these circumstances. James always spoke highly of you." Albus began quietly. Charles interrupted him.

"What the hell happened Dumbledore? James said that you yourself were going to preform the charm." Charles was clearly moving from shock to anger very quickly.

"I did not perform the charm. Lily did. She was quite gifted. The charm was powerful and strong but that doesn't matter when the secret keeper gives you up."

"Who was the secret keeper?"

"Sirius Black."

"That is impossible. Sirius would never give James to Voldemort. You are wrong!" Charles jumped to his feet and began pacing. "Sirius would have died before he gave up James and Lily, never mind Harry to Voldemort. He couldn't have been the secret keeper then. It had to be someone else!" He came to a stop beside Dumbledore, anger clear his face.

"Charles, Sirius Black was captured today after he had been confronted by Peter Pettigrew in front of muggle witnesses. Black murdered Pettigrew and more than ten muggles. He is in Azkaban as we speak."

"Doesn't he even get a trial? Is that how you do things here?" Charles stormed. Ed was worried that he was going to have to protect Dumbledore from Charles instead of the other way around. He had never seen his blood brother so angry before.

"Barty Crouch has made this decision. The powers that he was granted during these terrible times gives him the ability to make that decision. If Peter had not confronted him in front of witnesses, asking him why he had betrayed James and Lily, Sirius might have gotten a trial. But Charles, he is sitting in a cell, crying, and saying 'I as good as killed them!' over and over again. The ministry has accepted that as a confession. I cannot save him." Dumbledore did actually look like this disturbed him.

"I will never believe that Sirius Black was a Death Eater. NEVER!"

Charles sat down in the chair dropping his head into his hands, elbows resting on his knees. Another friend gone!

"Where is Harry? You said that he survived, so where is he? St. Mungo's?" Charles raised his eyes to the man across from him.

"Charles, I do not believe like the rest of country that Voldemort is gone for good. A majority of the Death Eaters certainly are still free and because they are so good at slithering out of trouble, some will remain free trying to help Voldemort to return to power. Will it happen tomorrow? No, it maybe years, decades from now. I do however, believe that he will return.

So Harry is in danger from both the Death Eaters and Voldemort. The child is not injured beyond a cut on his forehead which I have healed. I have placed him with Lily's sister under blood charms among many others to protect him. Lily gave her life for Harry in the end. Voldemort was not going to kill her when he came to Godric's Hollow. I have this information from a spy. Somehow this act of sacrifice of Lily's caused Voldemort's curse to rebound from Harry to him. He lost his body but I believe that he is not completely gone. Since she acted as sacrifice, it has to be someone with her blood that will protect Harry. That is why he cannot stay with you."

Dumbledore had anticipated Charles' next question. And Harry in the United States would put him too far from Dumbledore's influence to suit the Headmaster, never mind in a non magical household in a country where Dumbledore was not in charge of anything.

"Dumbledore, Harry is the last of my family. The absolute last member besides me. Can't he come with me? In the States the Death Eaters have not been able to get a hold. The American Magical Government has stamped them out. I think he would be safer there. James died protecting him too!" Charles was losing the impetus that his anger had given him but he wasn't ready to give up.

"Charles, the blood wards will keep him safer. No wizard that means the child harm can cross the ward lines. They cannot even find the house. The Ministry will not even know exactly which house the boy will be living in until he starts school, just the town. He will be safer with his Aunt. He will be with a family; he has a cousin just a few months older than he is there. He needs a family Charles. Can you give him that?"

The old man peered over his glasses at the broken man sitting across from him and knew that he had won. Dumbledore knew of the loss of Charles' wife, Lily had told him about it when it happened. She had been so worried about her brother in law.

"No, he would not have that with me now but maybe in a few years when I retire from the Navy he could come to me then." Charles would set that plan in motion as soon as he returned to the States no matter what Dumbledore said.

"We will have to see how things are going then. It might be better if Harry stayed with his Aunt. He might feel more secure and happier with people he knows. But we will revisit that at that time."

Dumbledore felt that it was for the greater good for Harry to remain here in Britain, so he had no intention of Harry leaving his aunt's house until the child started school. The child must be kept safe and Dumbledore felt that he knew best.

"Where are Lily and James Dumbledore?" Charles asked quietly.

"They are at Ministry. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement was able to remove them before anyone could…well before any more damage had accrued. Do you want to handle the arrangements?"

"Of course. Last summer they both said they wanted to be buried here in the church cemetery in Godric's Hollow. Lily thought that it was such a beautiful place." Charles choked on the last word.

"I will have a representative contact you in the morning. If you would like you may use this room. I have it until the end of the week. I thought that it might come in handy." Albus handed Charles the key. "Do you want someone to stay with you?"

"No, I'll be…I am fine. Thank you for your help. Thank you for taking care of Harry. Will I be able to see him?" Charles knew the answer, it was written on Dumbledore's face. "I understand. But I will see be able to see him later won't I?"

"Charles, the fewer people coming and going from where he is the better. We must keep Harry's safety the highest priority. I am sure that that is more important to you than you being able to see a small child that is frightened already and it would be upsetting for him to have someone else show up that he doesn't know. Well, I am sure that you understand." Albus stood to leave. "Are you sure you don't want some else here with you?"

"No, I have a friend that will be coming to the service so I won't be alone when he gets here." Even in the shape the Charles was in, he felt the mental probe from the old man, who stepped back when he couldn't get into Charles' mind.

Albus stopped just a moment when that happened and peered at the man over the rim of his glasses. Charles was un-readable. He was only the second person that Dumbledore had not been able to read completely and the first muggle.

"Charles, the next few days will be difficult. If you need me, Wally can send word to Hogwarts where I will be for the most part. Take care of yourself and please let me know if you need anything." Dumbledore quietly shut the door behind him and Charles could hear him going down the hall towards the stairs.

Ed stepped out of the charm. He sat down in the chair that Dumbledore had just left.

"How you holding up brother?"

"I'm here. Come on!" Charles got to his feet. "I need go to the Ministry. I want their bodies out of there tonight. Those bastards did nothing to save them. They are not going to turn this into a circus."

The two men disapparated quietly and the room became silent except for the crackling of the fire.

_**Ministry of Magic, London…**_

The Ministry of Magic has predacious protections from Muggles seeing and being able to access it. After the last few years, even Dark Wizards had to work to get in past the charms and wards. Two Navy seals who were wizards however simply came up through the sewers into the basement morgue through a weak wall that was taken out by dissolving the mortar with acid. The Ministry had no defenses for non magical means of entry if the person knew where to start.

Ed and Charles slipped into the morgue behind the attendant that was reading a book. He never knew they were there. There were only two bodies on the tables. Only two dead ones that is, there was however a live one draped between the two sheeted mounds. A very small body, one that was shaking with sobs.

"Star?" Charles quietly asked as he laid a hand on the small shoulder.

The house elf lifted her eyes to the eldest of her boys. The dark brown eyes were swimming with tears.

"Master Charles? Master Charles, theys dead!" She flung herself into Charles' arms, wrapping her arms and legs around him, clinging to her boy like a limpet. "They says Master Sirius tells the dark one wheres my Master James and Miss Lily is. They takes my Master Harry! I can'ts hear him! Where is my Master Harry?"

Ed had quickly cast a Muffliato charm on the attendant when they went past him, so he did not hear the house elf's cries. That bit of magic would be mixed with everything else that had been cast during the day around the attendant's desk so no one would notice it.

"Star Harry is safe with his aunt, Miss Lily's sister. Dumbledore has seen to it that he will be safe. Sirius has confessed though I don't believe it. You can't stay here. James and Lily can't stay here. Will you help me to take care of my brother?"

Charles knew the power of house elves. Star had always told him he would be a powerful wizard some day. She had seen what no one else had. Her magic would not set off any alarms at the Ministry either because those fools discounted house elves even more than they did muggles.

"Where?" was all she asked.

"Godric's Hollow, the coroner's office. I told them tonight that we would be transferring them to their morgue. They are ready." Charles watched as the house elf and the table with the two bodies disappeared.

"Come on. Let's get out of here."

Ed and Charles went out the way they had come in, placing the bricks back in the hole, covering up their entry. There would be a hue and cry when it was discovered that James and Lily Potter's bodies were gone, but they should have guarded them better Charles thought to himself.

_**Godric's Hollow, November 5, 1981…**_

Dumbledore stood across the two graves that were being filled in from the man standing in the rain, tears mixing with the rain running down his face. The Headmaster wondered how much longer Charles Potter would hold it together. He also wondered about the funeral that had just ended.

How had a mere muggle pulled this off? The Ministry had had plans to turn the funeral of James and Lily Potter into a circus, but somehow this man had waltzed into the Ministry of Magic and made off with two bodies without anyone seeing a thing. Well, it had to have been him but Wally had said that Potter had not left the inn that night. So how had it been accomplished?

Dumbledore had found no trace of a wizard's magic in the morgue, only the residue of a house elf's, something that was everywhere in the ministry, when asked to investigate by the minister. In fact, there were traces of at least four different house elves in the morgue. The little beings were always popping in and out running errands for their masters. So how had Charles gotten the bodies out?

Then he had arranged a closed funeral with, if Albus was not mistaken, Muggles of the military variety providing a perimeter of security. The man had purchased the most powerful wards that Dumbledore had ever encountered outside of Gringott's. Not only that, these were wards that Albus had never seen before and that was saying something. Some new variety of Goblin wards probably.

Then only the Order of the Phoenix members were allowed to attend with the Minister of Magic being the only representative besides himself for the government. Dumbledore knew that the local government, a mix of wizard and muggle like the rest of the village, were firmly on the Potters' side. So none of them would tell him anything, except that the bodies showed up in the morgue but nothing more. The only ones at the Funeral who knew exactly who Charles really was, was Remus and himself. The eldest Potter had introduced himself, when asked by anyone, as Charles Stormchaser. Not that many wanted to approach the obviously distraught man.

Everyone else soon left the graveside. There were just Charles, himself and the man who had not said anything but had stayed firmly at Charles' shoulder. Dumbledore knew that this man's job was not just comfort for his friend, he was protection. It was hard to miss such a warrior in the company of teachers, ministry clerks, and retired farmers that had attended today. The few Aurors in attendance kept a wary eye on both of the men during the service. Alastor Moody had said that he approved of the security thinking that Dumbledore had arranged it.

"Charles, you will let me know if there is anything that you need, won't you?" Dumbledore asked in preparation to leave.

"The only thing that I need is your wizard's oath that if I leave Harry were he is, if I do as you have asked and leave him be, he will be safe from the Death Eaters and Voldemort." Charles glared at Albus across the now mounded earth.

"You have my oath that Harry James Potter will be safe from all Dark Wizards while he calls his aunt's house home, so mote be it." Dumbledore knew that no Dark Wizard would be able to touch Harry at #4 Privet Drive. Not even Voldemort himself would be able if he should return before Harry was of age.

"Very well, I will not try to move him. _**Unless**_, I deem it necessary. If I get one whiff that he is in danger at that house, I will have him out of there so fast your head will spin. Do I make myself clear old man?" Charles waited for the old man to nod. "It will be as you have planned, but be advised that I will be watching. Make sure that my nephew and heir is kept safe or it will be on your head old man." With that, Charles turned and left the cemetery.

_**Azkaban Prison, February 1982…**_

The Dementors floated down the hall from Sirius Black's door. Their Mesmer of terror and sadness lifted a bit. Sirius could think straight for the first time in a long time. His grief at the lose of his friends had changed to a new emotion. He was angry. Angry at Peter, angry with himself for convincing James and Lily to change secret keepers, for ever giving Harry to Hagrid Halloween night, for the choices he had made. Some how he was going to get out of here. He had to find a way, if only he could think, if only he could remember. But his mind was so confused because of the influence of the Dementors.

The guard came to his door and slipped in a tray of cold broth, stale bread and a cup of semi clean water through the flap at the bottom. There was also an envelope on the tray addressed to him.

"You got yer first mail that wasn't cursed in some way Black. But who ever sent it is as crazy as you are!" The guard walked away cackling with laughter.

Sirius crawled across the filthy floor. He was too weak to stand because in his grief and locked in his mind's terrible memories by the Dementors, he had forgotten to eat most days. He collapsed beside the tray and reached with trembling fingers towards the letter that had been opened and checked by the guards. Holding it up to the feeble light that came in the narrow window of his cell, he squinted his eyes to read the letter, the handwriting looking familiar for some reason.

_**Dear Sirius,**_

_**I hope this letter finds its way to you eventually. I am sure that the guards will check it closely to make sure I haven't slipped a key in it somewhere. **_

_**I can only imagine how it is there. I hate that they have locked you away from the world. Just remember that I will try everything I can to get you out because I KNOW you didn't betray James or Lily. Turn your grief Padfoot, turn it to anger, that will sustain you when nothing else will. I know, it is sustaining me!**_

_**Remember Padfoot, remember running with Moony, Prongs and Wormtail. Remember!**_

_**Yo-na**_

Sirius read it again. Who the hell was Yo-na? Why did he know about Moony and Prongs?

And Wormtail…the traitor, the traitor was Wormtail. Now Sirius could remember, the bloody coward shouting at him, pretending that Sirius was the betrayer. Then blasting the street and slinking off through the sewers with the rest of the rats. Now that was a thought that he could keep in his head, his hatred of Peter Pettigrew, spy for the Voldemort. The Dementors couldn't touch the hatred. He would hold on to that thought tight.

Wait, this Yo-na had called him Padfoot. Why was he Padfoot, he knew James was Prongs but why? Remember the letter had said. Sirius nibbled on the stale bread as he tried to remember why he was called Padfoot. The drain of his power and thoughts from the Dementors being so close had almost tipped him into complete insanity.

James was Prongs because…he was an animagus, he could transform into a stag. Like Peter could transform into a rat. Remus was Moony because he was a werewolf. So…he was Padfoot because…then it clicked into place. He was Padfoot because he could transform into a dog!

He would have to build his strength back up a bit but he would do it. His hatred of Peter and the consuming desire to rind the traitor from limb from limb was almost as good a shield against the Dementors as a Patronus. In addition, it took a lot less energy, never mind it didn't require a wand.

When it would get to be too much over the next seemingly endless years, he would transform into a dog, Dementors do not really affect animals, so he was able to keep more of his sanity intact than the other prisoners. His anger helped too because the Dementors only drain happy memories and Sirius' anger was too terrible to ever be considered happy. Surely, Yo-nah, who ever he was, could convince someone in power that he was innocent. He would just have to hold on until that happened. He just never imagined that he would have to last for twelve years. Neither did Yo-nah.


End file.
